Watchdog Writers Group
Watchdog Writers Group is a non-profit journalism institute that produces books and in-depth reporting, while also acting as a teaching lab to train the next generation of reporters.
Watchdog Writers Group funds the type of deep investigative journalism that is no longer supported by the private marketplace. We do this by giving annual fellowships to authors, and by hiring students to be reporters alongside them. In doing this, the program hopes to revitalize newsgathering in the middle of the country about vitally important issues.
The Team
THE AUTHORS
FELLOW
Pamela Colloff
Staff writer, New York Times Magazine and Senior Reporter at ProPublica
Writing a book about the criminal justice system and jailhouse informants.
READ BIO
FELLOW
Patricia “P.J.” Huffstutter
Agribusiness Reporter at Reuters News
Writing a book about the farm debt crisis in rural America.
READ BIO
FELLOW
John Eligon
New York Times National Correspondent
Developing a book project about the Black Lives Matter movement.
READ BIO
DIRECTOR
Christopher Leonard
Executive Director of the WWG
Writing a book about the Federal Reserve Bank and the American economy.
READ BIO
THE STUDENTS
Steven Garrison
Working with Pamela Colloff to investigate the criminal justice system in Missouri and other states.
READ BIO
Peng “Fion” Chen
Working with P.J. Huffstutter to build a unique, searchable database of farm debt and loan defaults across America.
READ BIO
Kelly Kullman
Working with Christopher Leonard to research the modern history of U.S. banks.
READ BIO
The Process
The Watchdog Writers Group provides annual fellowships to established journalists who seek to step away from daily reporting and write a book that helps deepen the public understanding of important issues. The fellowship includes a financial stipend of $50,000 a year and other means of support, such as research assistance, networking opportunities and workshops with other authors.
Recent Stories
Watch here for new stories regularly.
“False Witness”
The New York Times Magazine